Apple Inc. Reportedly Making Bigger iPhone

Written by: Chris Ciaccia06/13/13 - 8:47 AM EDT

Tickers in this article:
AAPL GOOG

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple is under intense pressure to demonstrate innovation didn't end when Steve Jobs died. For some, that means new product categories; for others, that may mean a bigger iPhone.

Citing four people with knowledge of the situation, Reutersreported the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant is looking at making a 4.7-inch version of the iPhone, a 5.7-inch version, as well as a $99 model of the iPhone in a variety of different colors. It's still unclear whether Apple will actually release the larger iPhone, as one of the sources noted the company constantly changes production plans.

It's expected that the next iPhone, the iPhone 5S, will incorporate fingerprint technology as part of Apple's AuthenTec acquisition from last year.

Hearing rumors about about a larger iPhone or a cheaper iPhone are nothing new, as Apple has lost market share to the team of Samsung and Google in recent months.

CEO Tim Cook has added fuel to the fire by recently speculating whether Apple was at the point where it needed to expand its iPhone product in the future. "We haven't so far," Cook said, referring to an expanded iPhone product line. "That doesn't shut out the future. It takes a lot of really hard work to do a phone when you manage the hardware and software and services in it. We've put our focus on doing that right. We haven't been focused on working multiple lines."

There have been concerns Cook has brought up that a larger screen, which several analysts have called for in the past, has issues that customers aren't willing to accept. He noted issues with battery life, resolution and brightness.